Australian bureaucrats are targeting an online tutoring business in an apparent attempt to thwart the massive rise in homeschooling.
Homeschool Academy Tutoring (HAT), founded by entrepreneur, Christian, and single mum Lydia Denker in 2021, was originally greenlit to operate by Victoria’s regulatory body, VRQA.
Following up on claims that Denker was running a rogue school, VRQA eventually cleared HAT.
Vindicating Denker, the VRQA investigation concluded the platform was ‘not operating as an unregistered school.’
Despite this, and HAT’s operating consistency over the past four years, the VRQA are gunning for Denker again.
Ignoring the business’s demographic and the home education context, bureaucrats within the regulatory body are demanding that the successful homeschooling startup stop operating in Victoria.
Splitting hairs, the VRQA argued that this was because HAT also provided its necessary niche service to homeschoolers during traditional school hours.
HAT is, according to them, a rogue school, not a tutoring service.
The apparent bureaucratic hate for HAT is now borderline vindictive, Lydia Denker told Caldron Pool.
“We are accused of being a school that’s not registered, even though they approved HAT to do business.”
What makes this all even more strange is that there has been no change in Victoria’s homeschooling legislation.
“It’s as if they just want to make an example out of us,” to discourage homeschooling, Denker explained.
“When I stood my ground and refused to release client data, the VRQA retaliated,” she added in a Facebook post on 2 June.
“They sent out an email to every Victorian homeschooling family, outlining our unique programs and using them as an example of what they claim is an “unregistered school.”
The attack hurt families, and it hurt the business, Denker elaborated.
“This was not a warning. This was targeted, an attempt to scare families and destroy our business. “
“Over half of our Victorian families withdrew from our programs, not because we failed them, but because they feared the system would punish them for accessing support.”
The HAT founder said she remains confident the bureaucracy has got this wrong, stating,
“We won’t allow the VRQA to strip Victorian families of their rights to homeschool.
“Rights that are still protected under law and have not changed.”
Australian parents have the “right to choose what’s best for their children’s education,” Denker concluded.
Notably, at least some bureaucrats have her back.
Victorian Liberal MP Ann-Marie Hermans took the matter to parliament on April 3.
Herman’s sought answers from the Victorian government about why VRQA had “informed clients and families, accusing HAT of acting as an illegal and unregistered school, when it has been fully compliant with the relevant provisions?”
Fighting for Denker, Herman demanded that the government “restore HAT’s reputation, and recognise the pressure the situation has put on the single mum.”
Allegations, she explained, had “damaged trust,” and left many homeschooling families “feeling that they cannot return until they know that this government approves of it.”
Contrary to VRQA’s accusations, Herman said she had met with Denker and confirmed that HAT was not operating as a school.
Government double standards are also worth noting.
This is an example of fight-the-gender-gap bureaucratic hypocrisy.
The pro-women-in-business bureaucracy doesn’t appear all that pro-woman.
Lydia Denker’s business is a recognised, successful female start-up with massive potential.
Yet, bureaucrats seem determined to stop this single mother from helping homeschoolers by locking down her livelihood.
The optics attached to this intimidation and bullying speak of an insecure bureaucratic caste fearful that daddy government and its nanny state are losing their place as a substitute for parents.
Education does not, and never has, belonged to hallways designed to worship leftism’s lust for total, unquestionable power.
Education begins at, belongs to, and ends in the home.
Homeschooling in Australia is under threat because bureaucrats are threatened by it.
The rapid growth of homeschooling is bringing with it a sizeable shift in the way Australians approach public schooling.
This is a grassroots education revolution.
Politicians didn’t expect it.
They don’t know what to do with it. Worse, most are ignorant about it.
Even if they were on board with homeschooling, most would find themselves at odds with an activist left-wing bureaucracy that wants it gone.
Teaching, we are told, is now a profession for political activists, not parents.
Schools are a place where the lens of Marxism can gain voice and visibility, then inject its proton-pseudos obsession with politics, power and imaginary oppression into everything, and onto everyone.
In sum, big government wants to be the parent, and Australia’s parents en masse are beginning to say no.
Threatened, the bureaucracy is rattled.
By their own admission, they are preparing to mow down competition in order to take back control (see here and here).
Cancelling HAT appears to be lawfare, seemingly deployed to block the growth of homeschooling in the State.
Homeschooling is the apparent target.
Lydia Denker just happens to be the one currently wearing the bullseye.
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Author: Rod Lampard
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